Merry Christmas from all of us at PT. On the way for Christmas, 2012, we'll bring you some of the best and brightest holiday performances from all over the globe. From the magnificent concert halls of Europe, to churches large and small, to a warm and inviting Irish pub, it's our annual tour of Christmas Around the World.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Traditional French (arranged by Mack Wilberg): Angels We Have Heard on High
The Luther College Combined Choirs, Luther College Symphony Orchestra, Sandra Peter, conductor
Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
Traditional (arranged by Bob Chilcott): The Gift
The King's Singers
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Leroy Anderson: A Christmas Festival
The Dallas Wind Symphony, Jerry Junkin, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
James Lord Pierpont: Jingle Bells
Chicago a cappella
Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville Illinois
Traditional Polish: Kolysanka Marii Panny (Mary's Lullaby)
The Salt Lake Children's Choir, Ralph Woodward, director
Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, Utah
Franz Biebl: Ave Maria
Burning River Brass
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Dave Brubeck: Precious Gift His Wondrous Birth
The Baltimore Choral Arts Chorus, Tom Hall, director
Baltimore Basilica, Baltimore
Giuseppe Verdi: Sanctus, from Messa da Requiem
The St. Olaf Combined Choirs, St. Olaf Orchestra, Anton Armstrong, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Northfield, Minnesota
Alfred Reed: Russian Christmas Music
The Dallas Wind Symphony, Mary Preston, organ, Jerry Junkin, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Gloucestershire Wassail
The Utah State University Chamber Singers, Cory Evans, director
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Hyde Park, Utah
Hour 2
Traditional Croatian (arranged by Igor Kuljeric): Croatian Christmas Carols
Soloists, the Croatian Radio and Television Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Tonci Bilic, conductor
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Zagreb, Croatia
Gustaf Nordqvist: Jul, Jul, Stralande jul (Yule, Yule, Radiant Yule)
The Swedish Chamber Choir, Simon Phipps, director
Christiane Church, Gothenburg, Sweden
Anthony Holborne: Heigh-ho Holiday
Hesperion XXI
Fontfroide Music and History Festival, Fontfroide, France
Traditional: Gaudete! Gaudete! Christus est natus!
Ben Davies, bass, the Sixteen, Harry Christophers, director
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England
Traditional Polish: Improvisation on Lulajze Jezuniu (Hush Little Jesus)
Bolette Roed, recorder
Music in Paradise Festival, Paradyz, Poland
Traditional: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The Tokyo FM Boys' Choir, Etsuyo Tachikawa, director
Tokyo FM Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Traditional Georgian: Alilo
The Rustavi Folk Chorus
Organ Hall, Chisinau, Moldova
Traditional: Quem Pastores Laudavere
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers, director
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England
Traditional Irish: Le Coinnle na Naingeal (Angel's Candles)
The Danu Ensemble
The Local Pub, Dungarvan, Ireland
Traditional: Nana
The Rustavi Folk Chorus
Organ Hall, Chisinau, Moldova
Grant McLachlan: Come Colours Rise
The Baltimore Choral Arts Chorus and Orchestra, Tom Hall, director
Baltimore Basilica, Baltimore
Traditional: Hey, I say, hey! It's Christmas!
The Bulgarian National Radio Mixed Chorus, Dragomir Iossifov, director
Bulgarian National Radio, Sofia, Bulgaria
Peter Tchaikovsky: The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from the Nutcracker, Op. 71a
The Glass Duo
International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki Zdroj, Poland
Jan Sandstrom: Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen (Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming)
The Swedish Chamber Choir, Simon Phipps, director
Christiane Church, Gothenburg, Germany
Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
Benjamin Raymond, Frederic Gagnon, and Frederic Demers, trumpets, Angelo Munoz and Guy Bernard, trombones, Jordan de Souza, conductor
Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Montreal, Quebec
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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